California takes the lead in electric car sales; Maine isn’t in top 20

More than 540,000 electric vehicles were sold in the United States between 2011 and 2016, with half the sales taking place in California, according to EV Volumes, which tracks battery and plug-in vehicle sales globally. Although electric vehicles represent less than 1 percent of the vehicles operating on U.S. roads, sales are increasing.

The federal Energy Information Administration predicts sales of electric vehicles will rise from less than 1 percent in 2015 to 9 percent of all vehicle sales by 2025.

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New models coming to market this year have lower prices and longer ranges, including the Tesla Model 3, the Chevy Bolt and a next-generation Nissan Leaf. They could drive 250,000 more sales, the EV Volumes’ data trackers predict.

California dominated electric vehicle sales, with nearly 258,000 during the five-year period. Incentives help. Beyond the federal tax credit, which can go as high as $7,500, the state and some utilities offer clean-vehicle rebates that add up to thousands of dollars.

Georgia was ranked a distant second, with 25,502 electric vehicles. Maine, which according to the Secretary of State’s Office has roughly 800 electric and plug-in vehicles on the road, didn’t make the top 20 list, published last month by CleanTechnica, a clean-tech website.

For the first quarter of 2017, the most popular electric vehicle was the Chevy Volt, a plug-in with a gas engine, according to CleanTechnica and EV Obsession. Close behind was the Toyota Prius Prime, followed by the Bolt and the Leaf.

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